[Reader-list] More on Baroda -- We must respond from Delhi

[gautam bhan]

Dear All,

 Updates from Baroda below about the continuing attack on the department.

 Shuddha, just to clarify from your last email: there is a meeting on 6pm,
Tuesday, the 14th, at Lalit Kala?
 Can this information be spread widely? It is a public meeting, yes?

 best,
Gautam

Dear All
The latest news from Baroda is that the University has suspended the
acting Dean Prof.Shivaji Panikkar from his job and there is also
pressure to make him a co-accused along with Chandramohan.
Chandramohan is still not able to get out on bail because the BJP-VHP
is creating furore at the court and forcing it to adjourn. Tomorrow
and the day after being  court holidays(Saturday & Sunday) the plan is
to impart exemplary punishment to Chandu and terrorise the faculty who
are accused of indecency and harboring anti-Gujarat sentiments!!!
The local press along with The Univ authority is cahoots with the
BJP/VHP and portraying all of us as public enemies who not only allow
display of indecent pictures but condone such behavior!
In the caredfully orchestrated melee no one is raising the real
question that how come the police in uniform walk into the faculty
premises without anybody's permission and take away a student without
even bothering to inform the In-charge Dean. For that matter the
University is not only refusing to take legal action against Mr Nirav
Jain for trespassing and using abusive language and threats in the
Faculty premises but no one from the University has appointed a lawyer
to fight Chandu's case. Dr Narendra Parmar,the advocate who is
fighting on our behalf is approached through the good offices of Mr
Rahul Amin(Industrialist and patron of art).
The students put up a small display of plates from the archive today
to highlight the point that art always dealt with themes that are
controversial and non-conformist but that was sealed by the Pro-VC who
marched into the faculty along with 4 Syndicate members and ordered
Prof Panikkar to shut it. When Prof Panikkar refused point blank he
not only braught the exhibition down but also sealed  the archive of
the Art History department. A police complaint was also logded by Mr
Jain to arrest Shivaji and make him a co-accused in the Chandramohan
case.Mr Jain who happens to be the head of VHP's legal cell is also
reprted (as published in The Indian Express today) to have openly
dared anybody to lodge an FIR as he would bring the whole city to a
stand still. There are also reports of burning of Shivaji's effigy in
Manjalpur area of the city yesterday. Sveral students have also
reported intimidation outside the Faculty premises.It is also brought
to our notice that several faculty members are to be targetted by the
University. Later in the evening news reached us that in an emergency
meeting the VC has taken the decision to suspend Prof Panikkar.

Yours sincerely

Indrapramit Roy
Sr Lecturer
Department of painting
faculty of Fine Arts
MSU of Baroda

On 5/11/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>
> I have recently been informed  there is going to be a gathering of the
> Delhi Art Community protesting the recent arrest of an Art student of
> faculty of Fine Art  in Vadodra.
>
> see the article on HindustanTimes
> ePaper<http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/>,
> You can find it at: '
>
> <
> http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=11_05_2007_001_016&typ=1&pub=47
> >ral
> police hit Vadodara, art student lands injail
>
> Please join- Monday 14th May , 6.00pm at Rabindra Bhavan ,Lalit Kala,New
> Delhi.
>
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